Age of the Pheonix
by Riko-San
Summary: Rewrite of my story, "Answer". After an attempted kidnapping leaves her shaken and weak, Lila enlists the help of WRO and AVALANCHE to keep her safe from ShinRa, who's looking to get his hands on his old experiments. Unfortunately for her, ShinRa's not the only one interested in what she can do. An old SOLDIER enemy once thought dead is back, and it's not the One Winged Angel...


**Okay, I know I took like a five/six month long unplanned hiatus. I am really, really, sorry.**

 **However, I have decided to rewrite my story, _Answer!_ This is just a preview, so expect an abrupt but hopefully nice sneak peak! I've changed the entire thing, save some elements, so tell me what you think. As readers, I want your opinions on this! Good, bad, as long as it's sound advice and nothing mean. Remember, it's okay to be angry, but it's never okay to be cruel! **

**_Note: [ ν ] - εуλ Means Era in the FF7 universe._**

 _Hell Fire Preview_

"You sick son of a- _Hey!_ Let me _go!"_

"Lila, calm down!"

I struggle more, trying to escape the grip of my boss. The only thing between me and this asshole costumer is him, and I'm pissed off enough to rip out of his arms and lunge at the rude man who, as a matter of fact, touched my butt. Not only did he grab it, he _groped_ it. Several times. Then he decided it was totally okay to whisper some inappropriate things to my while I served him and his _wife._ I don't think so, buddy.

I pull my fist back and punch the holy crap out of this guy- so hard, apparently, the force of it knocks him off his feet.

A collective gasp shakes the now-crowded room.

My boss is red faced and furious. " _LILA!"_

"You bitch!" The guy has the nerve to spit blood at my foot. He quickly rises to his feet, fist raised, "You're gonna regret ever touching me!"

I'm _really_ pissed off now. I can feel my body heat up as all the blood rushes to my face. I take a step forward, pumping myself up to look intimidating. "C'mon, then! Show me what you've got, princess!"

The guy throws a punch and actually hits me. It doesn't knock me over, but _damn_ it _hurts._ No one comes to my rescue, however. These days, a fight is a fight and I clearly picked one with the wrong guy. In a way, I feel flattered that no one is stepping in- no one's taking pity on me for being a woman, but then again, it'd be nice if someone told him to take it easy on the punches. This guy is two heads taller and at least a hundred-something pounds heavier. He throws another punch and I stumble for a moment before running and tackling him, punching all along the way.

He grabs my hair and pulls me back, punching me repeatedly. My face is starting to numb, and I know I should tap out but he's such a douche. Just thinking about the embarrassment I'll face if I surrender pisses me off. Without thinking, I scream and stand up, shoving both of my hands into his face in an attempt to push him away. In all my anger, I press my hands further into his skin, so hard it feels like my hands are going to fuse with his. I hear a low hissing sound, like steam escaping a pipe.

Suddenly, he reels back, screaming and holding his face.

"S-she burned me!" He cries in pain, "This bitch is using materia!"

Several men step up, probably planning to intervene, and I hold my hands up. I know the rule- a fight is a fight, sure, unless you use materia. That's a major taboo when going mano a mano.

"Hold on, now! I don't even have any materia equipped! See?" I'm trying to explain myself, but they aren't listening.

"I see it! Her hands are red!" One man yells from the back.

To the left, two Turks, who had been silently observing the scene from their seats, stood in unison. I immediately turn my attention to them- if Turks got involved, I'd be in more hot water than I already was.

"I'm not-" Water splashes on me from behind. I gasp and turn around, but two guys grab my arms and hull me off of my feet. "Let go!"

 _"You're fired, Lila!"_ My boss shouts in my face. " _Get the hell out of here!"_

The two guys drag me to the door, even though I'm struggling and kicking into the air.

"You need to cool off, babe!" One snickers, "Maybe a little snow will help chill that temper!"

Laughing, one opens the door to the restaurant and the other roughly pushes me out. I can only utter a sound of surprise before I fall face first into the snow on the side walk. I can hear the two still laughing in the door way and my faces heats up in embarrassment. As quick as I could, I stumble to my feet and turn around to face them.

"I can't wait to see you two walking home tonight!" I spat, "We'll see if the police recognize your bodies in the morning!"

My threats are answered by laughter and more water being thrown on me. I'm super pissed now, so I storm off down the street. I'm so mad, I don't even watch where I'm going- as long as I get as far away from that crap bucket as I can before I blow the place up. I'm just now beginning to feel the cold through my thin long sleeve shirt and knee length skirt, and I wish I would've thought to grab my jacket before I went off on that guy.

"What a bust," I sigh, rubbing my arms. I know blood is running down my face, but my sleeves are already soiled from work earlier that it'd make it worse trying to wipe it off. "That was embarrassing...What was I thinking?" I groan, rubbing my forehead.

I have no _job,_ no _money,_ no freaking _jacket..._ I take a look around, hoping that maybe I'd wander closer to home, but no. I'm _lost._ A pile of snow becomes the target of my newly discovered anger, and I kick it hard. Snow goes flying everywhere. A chill goes down my back and I shiver, hugging myself closer if possible.

It's so dark. I think I'm in an alley, but in Edge there's no real difference between an alley and the main street. I know I'm not anywhere near home, and no one would take me in, so...I guess it's sleeping in the street. Again. I sigh again and continue walking down the alley-street thing, looking for a somewhat decent place to sleep.

It's so dark. I think I'm in an alley, but in Edge there's no real difference between an alley and the main street. I know I'm not anywhere near home, and no one would take me in, so...I guess it's sleeping in the street. Again. I sigh again and continue walking down the alley-street thing, looking for a somewhat decent place to sleep. The snow is starting to come down thicker, and I'm getting really cold. My breath is puffing out as fog...It's so _freaking cold!_

My foot catches and I fall, uttering a cry of surprise before smacking into the concrete. "Sh-" I swear under my breath, sitting up in the snow. I'm shaking now, the water from earlier totally helping in _not_ keeping me warm. Trying to stand proves to be a bust when my ankle pops loudly and sharp pain spikes up my leg.

"Crap!" I hiss, rubbing my ankle. "Why do these things always happen to me?" I say to no one. Not that there's anyone around to listen.

Something shuffles in the darkness. Maybe there is someone after all.

"You've made quite a mess of yourself."

I look up sharply, searching the street for the source of the voice. At first I don't see anyone, but then two figures step into view to the left of me. I recognize them, the Turks from the diner. I can't help but laugh. "I just can't catch a break tonight, can I?" I ask the pair, rhetorically of course.

The tall one with long dark hair doesn't answer, but the red head has plenty to say.

"You messed that guy up pretty bad, yo," He says casually, "But you know...it's not cool using fire materia in a fist fight. Especially if you started it."

I shake my head in disbelief. "I can't believe you two followed me out here for that." I'm getting mad again. I can feel heat creeping up my back and arms, coiling in my chest. Despite the pain in my ankle, I stand up and face the two. "Look," I say, "I didn't use materia. It's not hard to understand. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going home. I'm cold and sore and I don't have time for this. Have a good night."

I start limping, but the red head speaks up.

"Hey, now, why don't we have a nice chat? It's not like you're doing much else anyway...We'd like to talk about that materia." He drawls on and on before I hold my hand up to silence him.

"Save it, guy. Don't you have some Turk business to be doing? You know, terrorizing citizens, killing ShinRa opposers, stuff like that? Buzz off."

I start walking again.

The tall man finally speaks. "Reno."

In two long strides 'Reno' walks up to me and grabs my arm, pulling me close. "I think we'll have a nice chat," Reno smirks, his grip tightening.

Again, I lower my head and laugh. Unlike my last opponent, this guy is tall but skinny, almost lanky, though I can feel some of his strength in the way he's holding me. I could probably take this one on fairly well, considering how angry he was making me.

Reno tilts his head when I laugh, his eyes narrowing slightly. "What's so funny, yo?"

"Get your filthy hands off of me," I spat, "You've gone and pissed me off now. I was holding back on that last guy, because of the crowd. But now we're alone. I'm giving you one warning. Get as far away from here as possible or I'll really show you fire."

In all honesty, I'm trying to give them a fair chance. I _was_ holding back, but I'm so mad I don't even care. I'll burn them to smithereens before they can say the word 'phoenix'.

Reno doesn't back up, doesn't move. He's looking at me strangely, and I know what he's thinking. ShinRa probably knows what I am, why that guy was burned without me using materia. It suddenly occurs to me that that's the reason these two where in the diner to begin with, to keep surveillance on me.

"Now I get it," I say quietly, looking up at his face- which is not to bad looking, might I add. "You know what I am. And ShinRa wants me back, is that it?"

He smiles now. "Bingo, babe."

"You're a smart little thing. Did you really think you'd hide forever, with that red hair and feisty temper of yours?" His partner walks closer, adding in to the conversation now. "It was once believed the Phoenix Project was a failure, but obviously, we thought wrong."

Reno jerks me suddenly to the side, pushing me to the ground. "You got away once, Lila, but now you're all beat up, covered in blood, in the snow, soaking wet, with an injured foot. It's almost pitiful. I _almost_ feel bad for having to take you in, yo," he says feigning sympathy.

I try to stand, but he's right; I'm too weak in this state, even with Phoenix, to stand up to these guys. The little strength I had from anger is quickly extinguished. Snow definitely isn't my element. They caught me at a bad time. "Bastards," I say, though it's an empty insult. "I-I won't let you take me back!"

Reno shakes his head and bends down, picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder. "C'mon now, Crossway, nice and easy. I might even take you to dinner if you play your cards right."

I start struggling, "Let me go, you ass! I'll scream!"

"There's no one around," Mr. Tall says, "You said so yourself, remember?"

" _Someone! Anyone!"_ I scream into Reno's ear and he jumps.

He abruptly drops me on to the ground. "Shut up, yo!"

I cry out in pain, huddling on the ground. "G-get away!"

"Don't fight us," Reno groans, "You know-"

A light shines over us and voices start shouting. " _Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?_ "

"Thank God," I breath before shouting back, "Help! Over here!"

"Tseng, what do we do?" Reno asks his partner quietly.

'Tseng' shakes his head. "We can't leave here without her."

"But ShinRa said not to let Cloud and his gang-"

"Please, hurry!" I scream.

I hear footsteps thumping towards us. Reno moves in front of me, obscuring my vision of my saviors. A light shines over us, and I cringe at the brightness of it.

A young girl's voice rings irritably in our direction, full of surprise and horror. "Get away from her! What's going on?"

* * *

 _ **So, yeah. The way I see it, it's good at first but gets kind of rushed toward the end, and that's mainly because I'm working a lot and school and stuff,**_ **and _this is only a draft to kind of play around with the idea. Also I knew I wouldn't get another chance to upload and I'd forget to finish up. Any way, review and leave some advice! I know it needs some work, so don't be shy._**


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